Beauty Byte: Shu Uemura, Legendary Makeup Artist, Is Dead at 79

Sad news: Shu Uemura, the Japanese makeup artist who built one of the world's largest cosmetics brands, died of pneumonia on Dec. 29. As a sick and bedridden teenager, he discovered his talent with makeup. From there, he went to Hollywood in 1955, getting his big break when Shirley MacLaine's makeup artist fell ill. Uemura stepped in for the filming of My Geisha, and his transformation of MacLaine won him numerous celebrity fans. In 1960, he began creating his own line of products. The rest, as they say, is history.

Very sad, but I never liked the brand. Of all name brands, theirs is one of the worst for your skin. It's not made in the US so there are no controls on mercury levels, so if you're sensitive there's a decent chance of an allergic reaction.